An Indian-origin former prison officer in Singapore has been sentenced to over three years in jail for attempting to seek bribes totaling SG$133,000 in exchange for transferring an inmate out of his jail cluster. Kobi Krishna Ayavoo, a retired senior chief warder, was convicted of eight charges under the Prevention of Corruption Act, reported The Straits Times newspaper.
The prosecution told the court that Kobi sought bribes from an inmate named Chong Keng Chye on eight separate occasions between September 2015 and March 2016 to pay his car loan instalments, house renovations, a birthday celebration, and credit card bills. Chong, who was sentenced to 20 years of preventive detention in 2005 for beating his girlfriend’s seven-year-old son, wanted a transfer out of a cluster in Changi Prison.
Kobi tried to obtain between SG$3,000 and SG$42,000 but did not receive any money from him as Chong knew Kobi did not have the capability or the authority to help him, the court was told. Kobi denied asking for money from him on any of the eight occasions and said that he spoke to him only during yard time when there were always inmates within hearing distance.
In addition to seeking bribes, Kobi was found guilty of instigating his colleagues to access the prison system to view the inmate’s information in July 2017, following which he was suspended. This case represents a serious breach of trust and abuse of his position as a former prison officer.
The court’s decision to sentence Kobi to jail serves as a warning to others holding positions of authority that corruption and abuse of power will not be tolerated in Singapore. The judge’s ruling reinforces the commitment to upholding the rule of law and maintaining integrity within the country’s legal and prison systems.
